Hawaii Hidden Gems

Think you know every college out there? Think again. Here are some diamonds in the rough from The Aloha State.

List produced by the Experts

Hawaii Pacific University (Honolulu, HI): Located right in the heart of Honolulu, with a residential campus on the other side of Oahu, Hawaii Pacific has a strong marine biology program and a very international flavor. Classes are always small, so students who may not be the strongest to begin with, but have the desire to learn, can do so. Administrators pay attention--it is a very positive atmosphere.

University of Hawaii at Hilo (Hilo, HI): Hilo has some outstanding programs and opportunities for students interested in geology and astronomy; the school is just miles from the active volcano that has been going off for 20 years and about the same distance from the world's best observatories (i.e., the Keck and others) on top of Mauna Kea. Hilo has a really good small program in computer science that is quite amazing--someone with an interest and not much experience could get excellent preparation here to go on to a top graduate program. Hilo also offers an outstanding Hawaiiana program.